The Decemberists in the Studio With R.E.M. Guitarist Peter Buck

Colin Meloy gets Buck to "play my fake-R.E.M. riffs."

Photo by Brian Leli

Right now, Portland bookworms the Decemberists are in the studio, hard at work on their sixth album. And this time around, they'll have at least one pretty serious guest: R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck. Last week, Decemberistsfrontman Colin Meloyposted this on his Twitter: "First official day of #6 practice; made Peter Buck play my fake-REM riffs and he didn't seem perturbed. Nor litigious." If there's one guy you want to have play your fake R.E.M. riffs...

Last year, Buck was in Portland to work on R.E.M. demos with Decemberists producer Tucker Martine; he told Pitchfork about it here.

In other Decemberists news, the band has exactly one show planned for the whole of 2010 (so far): An April 30 benefit show at the Liberty Theater in Astoria, Oregon. The show is a fundraiser for Oregon artist Jessica Schleif, who is currently facing a ton of medical debt. Writer/performer Moe Bowstern will host the show, and singer-songwriter Michael Hurley is also on the bill.

Decemberists frontman Colin Meloy will also play a solo show April 29 at the Cleaners at the Ace Hotel in Portland. It's a benefit for PDX Pop Now!. And Black Prairie, the bluegrass band featuring Decemberists members Chris Funk, Jenny Conlee, and Nate Query, release their debut album Feast of the Hunters' Moon on April 6 on Sugar Hill.